Gold-washing machine



April 1 1924.

J. MCMURPHY' GOLD WASHING MACHINE Filed Sept 1 1922 g Alisfi 2 Sheats-S 1 J. M MURPHY Aprifl 1 1924.

GOLD WASHING MACHINE Filed Sent. 1 1922 2 Sheets-SM 2 Patented a i, 1924.

JOHN MCMURPHY, 0F WHITE BUCK, BBZTISH COLUMBIA CANADA. 7

GOLD HASHING M'ACHINE.

Application filed September 1, 1922. Serial No. 585,769.

The improvements are directed to effect such recovery with considerably less water than is usually considered necessary, by making use of agitation to keep the gold bearing sand open or permit settlement of the *gold values through it.

I The means by which this result is attained is fully set forth in the following specification, reference being made to the drawings by which it is accompanied, in which:

F ig. 1 is a plan of the machine complete.

Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line 22 in Fig. 1. i

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the settling vessel for the material which has passed through the screen and over the tables, and

Fig. 4 is a plan of the same.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail of the shaking table, and r Fig. 6, a detail of the roller bearing which supports the same.

In these drawings 2 represents a timber supporting frame on the lower part of which a light metal frame 3 is carried on supporting rollers 4. This frame 3 adjustably supports a metal table 5 at an incline across its width of approximately one in six. The surface of this table 5 has fine grooves 6 parallel to its sides, which grooves are approximately five-sixteenths in width with a depth of five-eighths of an inch. The grooves extend from one end to which the gold bearing sand is delivered and terminate at a short distance from the other end at a plane surface 7 coinciding with the bottom of the grooves, which planesurface is narrower toward the lower side of the table, as shown in Fig. 1. I

Endwise movement, that is, in the direction of the grooves, is imparted to this table by an eccentric 8 secured on a shaft 9. the strap of which eccentric is connected by a rod 10 to the front end of the table 5. This shaft is driven fromthe crank shaft of the engine 11 by an endless band 12 passingaround pulleys 13 and 1 on the crank shaft of the cngineand the shaft 9 respectively.

The alluvial sand containing precious metals is delivered to the upper edge of the table 5 at the end of it further from the plane surface 7 through an inclined chute 15, the side and end walls of which are carried up to. support within them graded screens 16 and 17, and the chute withthe screens is suspended by links 18 from the supportingframe 3. A reciprocating movement across the incline, and therefore across the flow, is imparted to the chute and its screens by eccentrics 19 on the shaft 9., the straps of which eccentrics are connected by rods 20 to the adjacent side of the chute 15.

The alluvial earth is delivered to the upper end of the screen 16 through a chute 31 and adjacent the lower end of this chute and the upper end of the screen 16, a spray of water is delivered at 32 and 33. The earth to be washed is delivered dry and receives the moderate water supply where indicated.

Such of the material as will not pass through the screens 16 and 17 is carried over them and is delivered to the dump through an inclined chute 34, which extends across the end of the table 5, and such as passes through the screens 16 and 17 and into the chute 15 is deliveredwith the small supply of water on the upper edge of the table 5,

and by the grooves 6 and the incline and endwise reciprocation of the table is spread over its surface and flows into a gutter 21 extending along its lower edge. This gutter 21 slopes downward and delivers through a spout 35 into a central cylinder 22 suitably supported to be concentric within a cylindrical vessel 241 and to leave a space 25 between the lower edge of the central cylinder and the bottom of the vessel.

In this vessel 24 a shaft 27 is supported in a footstep bearing 26 and bearing 23, on, the lower end of which shaft, adjacent the footstep bearing, collar 28 is secured, to which one end of a coil 29 is attached, which coil is thus rotatable in the annular space between the central cylinder 23 and the vessel 2d, and across the bottom of the vessel under the central cylinder. This shaft 27 is driven by mitre gears 30 from the end of the shaft 9.

The device is operable with a minimum of water, reliance being placed on the relatively slow progression of the material across the grooves 6 of the table and the agitation of the material in the grooves by the endwise reciprocation parallel therewith, which enables the heavier material carrying values to pass through the sand in the grooves and be retained.

Similarly, the line float gold which is unable to penetrate the sand in the grooves of the table will be delivered with the sand and Water into the gutter 21 and through the spout 35 into the central cylinder 22, and while the sand is agitated and worked up over the edge of the vessel 24 by the rotation of the coil 29, the gold will collect in the bottom and be recovered.

lVith this machine, values in fine gold have been recovered that would have been lost had the alluvial sand been washed over the table with a full flow of water.

Having now particularly described my invention, I hereby declare that what I claim 7 as new and desire to be protected in by Letters Patent, is:

In a placer gold recovering means, the combination with an upright frame and a base frame, the latter being disposed adjacent and at right angles to the upright frame, a sidewise oscillatory screen carrying chute mounted on the upright frame and means for delivering water with the gold bearing material onto the screens; of a table having relatively deep parallel grooves that extend from one end thereof to adjacent the other end, the table at the said other end having a transversely extended plane surface that merges with the bottoms of the grooves, means for oscillating the chute in 'ransverse direction and for reciprocating the table in longitudinal direction, the said chute including a discharging end which.

delivers the water and the gold bearing earth onto that part of the table adjacent the closed ends of its grooves, the said grooved table being mounted on its base frame and extended beyond one side of the aforesaid chute, and a supplemental chute that passes entirely across the receiving end of the grooved table and is adapted for receiving and dumping such of the material as does not pass through the screens in the delivered chute to the grooved table.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JOHN MCMURPHY. 

